Dear Editor,
On July 14, 2021, the most incredible but horrific thing happened to me, my name is Larrett Shed. I suffered a severe case of heat exhaustion causing me to become disoriented and pass out whilst visiting a family-owned property in Fairfield, Texas. This was a very scary and uncertain time for me as I was alone and exposed to the elements for over 15 hours as I was unable in all of this time to yell outwardly for help nor was I able to alert anyone that I was lying defenseless on a 32-acre property. I was terrified that I would be bitten by snakes or left to the wild hogs that sometimes frequent the property. I had very little strength during this time so trying to pull myself up from the bushel seemed like an overwhelming task for me as I had no energy or inner strength during this time.
Thank God for having a routine as saving me began with my wife and children who realized that I hadn’t come home by a certain time of the day so they commuted from Dallas, Texas on a mission to come and check on me. In the process of coming to the property they realized that my vehicle was on the property but I was no where to be found. Due to the sure darkness of Fairfield and an unlit property, my family had to drive to the Fairfield Police department to alert the staff there that I was missing. The police department partnered with the local Freestone County Sheriff’s department who was able to follow my family out to the 32-acre property with multiple resources including EMT’s and a powerful drone that was used to detect the image of my defenseless body that was lying out on the property. With verily little body strength, the drone was able to see me waving to it and from there by the grace of GOD I was able to be saved.
I decided to write this letter as a thank you to the Fairfield police department and to the Sheriff department and the local EMT’s whom I would say saved my life. I would like to give a special thanks to Deputy Campbell and Deputy Weinmann who thanks to their diligence and persistence in sticking with my family until I was found. These individuals were off the clock but because they could sense the fear in my wife and children, they stayed to offer their support and to drive the area looking for me. They even came by the hospital to check on me some time after the rescue. I really wanted them to know that what they did, did not go unnoticed.
During this uncertain time in the world, with the Pandemic and the division and strife in our society, I can still see the goodness and the impartiality in the public service that was shown to us by your Deputies, Sheriff, and the EMT’s that worked that night and the next day. I have never appreciated nor respected a group of public servants as much as I did the night I was found helpless and still have the utmost appreciation and respect for these public servants on today. I will never forget what they did for me as this was hands down the most uncertain and scariest day of my entire life!
I would like to give these public workers the world if I could but was not going to go another day without expressing my gratitude to you-all. My prayer is that you never grow weary in the line of work that you-all are doing because I saw a great sense of pride and professionalism and strength in these workers that helped my family and I on this day am still recovering physically and emotionally from this ordeal but by the grace of GOD and these incredible workers I live another day to tell my story and the great works exhibited by these individuals…
Please keep doing the great and incredible work that you do, I hope you-all know how grateful my family and myself are for all that you are doing for others and did do for us. Because of these workers, I will never have negative words to say about any public service worker or employee as without these individuals doing the most selfless, dangerous actions on the daily basis, I get a second chance at life and to be with my family and to do whatever it is that the Lord would have me to do.
Larrett Shed and Family
Dallas, Texas
